December 30, 2011

We walked down 3rd Ave on our first day in New York on a welcoming December afternoon - 60-degrees, and the finest of a week full of fine weather - bound for lunch with The William Brown Project's Matt Hranek at JG Melon. We stood on the corner at 74th St. waiting for a table to clear and taking in the sounds of the city, when five young men spilled outside reeking of a long lunch. Each lit up a smoke and they contemplated loudly their next move; a joy ride was on order, so off they went, in high-cut cords and driving mocs, certain to wreak prepster havoc wherever they ended up next. Lo, the Holidays.

Sitting just inside the door, just up a step from the bar, we had a great perch to watch the Upper East Side kids returning home from wherever college to enjoy the cheeseburger and cottage fried potatoes. This is, I presume, the traditional rendezvous, and after a four a.m. wake-up and the ravenous appetite that inspired, it was a tradition in which we gladly partook.

December 21, 2011

NYC-bound tomorrow morning with half the family to celebrate the beginning-of-the-end of Christmas season. Staying in the 80's and willing to travel for good eats, strong drink, sartorial endeavors, and other gentlemanly pursuits. Anything we ought not to miss?

December 14, 2011

There's something intoxicating about a woman who can handle a firearm and not make an issue out of it. As though it's a part of her. We've got them in spades down here, though the population (15-20 million strong) certainly isn't restricted to Texas...

Lindsay McCrum has captured just a few of them in her new book Chicks with Guns. No politics, no ideology, just a smattering of armed women that cuts across demographics, young to old, east to west, well-heeled to hard-scrabble, and all-confident and in their element in these self-styled portraits.

Ms McCrum will be on-hand tomorrow at Sloan/Hall for a book signing. I'll be there, just to see who shows up.

December 10, 2011

Artist Appreciation get-down, tonight on the Artpace rooftop (8p). Free music, food, and drinks "to show the artists, creative community, and supporters of the arts in San Antonio just how much [they] mean to us." And let's be honest, nothin' says lovin' quite like free drinks. DJ Chicken George on-hand, and if I could figure out how to embed a wave file you'd get a better sense of what that means. But I can't, so if you want to hear, go here, and push play.

December 6, 2011

I was down in the Valley last week walking through a few of the Mexican meat markets, marveling at the pork picnics and butts, on-sale, dirt cheap, and right next to the corn husks and buckets of lard, spices, and steamers. Hadn't seen a set-up like this in some time; about a year, in fact, for it's tamale season in Texas. A season that brings the joy of food and tradition together to the benefit of all (including us gringos... if you know where to go, that is).

So last weekend we scoped out some new places at the tamale festival. First up was Tamahli. Of all the vendors, this was the only one with any substantive line, which meant it had to be good. Because the masses... they always get it right, right? Well, score one for them. Pork with ranchero salsa came first, and then a slight deviation from the norm, Oaxacan-style chicken on a pressed square of masa, covered in mole and wrapped in a banana leaf.

Next were the "cups" from Teka Molino. Not exactly a tamale but hey I'm no purist... deep fry a corn tortilla, shape it into a cup and fill it with picadillo and guacamole, and I'll call it whatever you want me to call it. Just keep 'em coming...